Harry Potter and the Other Prophecy
by Dreatonkslupin
Summary: Harry Potter's search for the Horcruxes has just begun with the help of a few friends along the way.  My version of Book 7
1. Escape From Privet Drive

A/N: I know it's been a while since I've updated, but I have been super busy. I decided that my other Book 7 story wasn't that great so I took it down. I have started writing this story which I hope will be a bit better. So far I have six chapters written and almost done with the seventh. I know I won't be getting this done before Deathly Hallows, but anything I write in this is my own, and I won't copy from the seventh book. Anything that happens in my story that also happens in Deathly Hallows is pure coincidence. Anyways, enough rambling. Enjoy the story :)

Harry Potter went rifling through his belongings to make sure he had everything he was supposed to. In about fifteen minutes, a group that included his friends Ron and Hermione were going to come take him away from Privet Drive forever. Luckily, his Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon were sound asleep in the next room. Also luckily, his cousin Dudley was at a friend's house spending the night.

Harry went to make sure that his owl, Hedwig, was locked in her cage. He took her off the perch on which the cage sat on and placed the cage on his trunk. Looking around his room, he kept a sharp eye out for anything he might have missed. He took Hedwig's cage off his trunk and checked his trunk for the hundredth time that night. He had many Defense Against the Dark Arts books as well as many potion ingredients that might help him along the way on his search and destruction of the Horcruxes. Also in his trunk was his Invisibility Cloak and a map of Europe, which he used to mark the known whereabouts of Voldemort. He, however, had only a couple of points marked on it. Albania and the town in which Voldemort grew up in an orphanage, which was in a small town outside of London.

Harry shut his trunk and locked it. Looking around, he didn't feel like he forgotten anything. In the corner, there was a stack of papers. One pile was Muggle newspapers while the other was _The Daily Prophet_, the wizarding newspaper. Picking up a Muggle paper, he read the headline: _Prime Minister Baffled at Mysterious Flood in Knapely_. Harry looked at the picture of the Prime Minister who was standing at a podium. In the past year, he seemed to get paler and thinner and looked twice as old as he was. Harry believed that the Prime Minister knew about the wizarding world and knew exactly what had been causing floods, earthquakes and other disasters across the country.

The Muggle Prime Minister wasn't the only one looking thin and pale, but the Minister of Magic was also. Rufus Scrimgeour was enduring endless criticism from the magical community and was on the verge of being kicked out of office. Many of the things that he had promised had not been done and not even been started. On the front of the most recent _Prophet_, Scrimgeour promised that he would tighten security in public places such as the Ministry and Diagon Alley. This angered the crowd and in the moving picture of Scrimgeour, one could see him being pelted by various fruits and vegetables.

Harry looked at his watch and noticed that in five minutes time he would be leaving. He walked to the window and noticed the street lamps were out. Lupin, Tonks, Ron and Hermione must be on their way, he thought. Harry unfolded the letter in his pocket and read the letter Hermione sent him last week:

_Harry,_

_I have to keep this brief in case this letter falls into the wrong hands. We're going to be at your home at midnight on your birthday to bring you to the new headquarters. After we arrive at the new headquarters, the will of Dumbledore will be read. _

_When we arrive, we'll put out the street lights and when we are in front of your house, we will send off subtle green sparks, as not to draw attention. We will shoot red sparks off if there is trouble. As soon as you see the green sparks, open the door so we can leave as quietly as possible. _

_See you next week._

_Love,_

_Hermione_

_P.S. Ron says hello._

Harry looked outside and waited for the sparks. He looked around to make sure he got everything again and as soon as he turned around, he saw green sparks that barely lit up Hermione's face. He ran down the stairs, careful not to touch the last one that creaked. He unlocked the door and motioned them in. Quietly, they walked up the steps and grabbed Harry's trunk and Hedwig. They walked back down the steps without talking and waited.

"How many more minutes?" Ron whispered.

"Just one more," Lupin replied, looking out the front window.

Harry waited. This last minute seemed to take forever. Then all of a sudden the house was filled with a bright white light. It was like lightning struck nearby.

"What the hell?!?" screamed Uncle Vernon from upstairs.

"So much for a quiet exit," Tonks said, grabbing Harry's arm and leading him out of the house. As soon as they were outside, the house went back to normal.

"Wonder what that was?" Ron wondered aloud.

"I think it was the spell wearing off. Dumbledore said on my seventeenth birthday the spell my mother put on me when I was a baby wouldn't protect me any longer," Harry replied.

Suddenly, there were at least a dozen pops around them. Death Eaters had the five surrounded and were closing in.

"Ahh, Harry Potter. Our master has some unfinished business with you," came a raspy voice.

Tonks and Lupin put themselves in front of the trio and had their wands at the ready.

"Don't make this harder on yourselves," came another voice, this one sounding deeper.

"Hermione, can you Apparate with both of them?" Lupin muttered, his lips barely moving.

"Yes, I think so," she said, grabbing both Ron and Harry.

The Death Eaters were closing in and Tonks yelled, "NOW!"

The last thing Harry saw was numerous white, green, and red blasts. The next second he was being pushed into a black tube and then landed in a large field. Flowers were blooming here and the stars were as bright as ever. He thought he could hear the ocean which sounded fairly close.

"Where are we? Where are Tonks and Lupin?" Harry asked, looking around, but not seeing either of them.

Suddenly, two small pops behind them announced their arrival. Lupin was sporting a swollen eye that would be black and blue by the next day and a bloody nose and Tonks was bleeding from a rather large cut on her upper arm.

"Are you okay?" Hermione asked, lightly touching the cut on Tonks' arm.

"Yeah, we're fine. Soon as you got out of there we Apparated. Just got a couple of flesh wounds."

"Ron, did you show Harry?" Lupin asked, wiping his nose on his sleeve.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Ron said, rummaging through his pockets and finding a slip of parchment. He handed it to Harry and Harry read:

_Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore's ideal present would be woolen socks._

"What is this?" Harry asked. Lupin took the slip of parchment and tapped it with his wand. The writing disappeared and all he did was point in the distance.

Out of nowhere, a mansion appeared, much like it did at Grimmauld Place. The only difference was that this place looked much more well kept and more homey, even though the house could have had five normal size houses fit inside it comfortably.

"Where are we?" Harry asked.

"The Dumbledore family home. I doubt Dumbledore stayed here, but it's been in his family for centuries," Hermione replied, walking toward the house. "I think we're somewhere near Flimby, but we're not allowed to go exploring, and for good reason too."

Walking up to the gate, Hermione, Lupin, Tonks, and Ron pulled their wands out and placed it on a small metal plate in the center of the gate.

"Put your wand there, Harry. It's sort of like a wand reader, makes sure you are supposed to be here. If a Death Eater puts his wand here, they will be transported to a place far away. Dumbledore himself put the charm on the house before-" Lupin stopped. "Well, you know," he continued hastily.

They all put their wands on the plate and a small green light encircled each wand tip. The gate opened with a creak and they walked through. The front lawn was enormous. There were numerous fountains and flowers blooming everywhere. Most of the flowers he suspected were magical as some of them were moving and there was no breeze. The house seemed very out of place in this field. He would have expected a small cottage out here, not a large old mansion.

Looking up at the porch, Harry stopped. The last person he expected to be here was standing on the front porch.


	2. The Will of Albus Dumbledore

A/N: Nothing really to say except enjoy :)

"Neville, what are you doing here?" Ron asked, climbing the steps.

"I have no idea. McGonagall came to my house a few hours ago and had tea with Gran. She told me that I needed to come with her and asked Gran if it was all right. Of course Gran said yes, her and McGonagall go way back. Why are we here and what is this place?"

"Let's get inside," Lupin said, pushing the four inside and shutting the door. He waved his wand and the door turned several different colors from blue to red to black. "They're wards. Just in case someone happens to get by the gate, it will warn us someone is coming."

Harry turned around and found himself in a large foyer. Above him was a large chandelier that's candles were lit. Ahead of him was a large staircase that split in two halfway up, leading to different wings of the house. There were a half a dozen doors that opened off of the foyer.

"Oh, Harry!" came a familiar voice.

As soon as Harry turned to see whose voice it was, red hair filled his face and a plump woman was hugging him.

"Hello, Mrs. Weasley," Harry said.

"Molly, let the boy breathe," Mr. Weasley said, pulling his wife back a bit. "How are you Harry?" he asked, shaking his hand.

"I'm fine."

Harry heard clicking of heels up ahead and saw Ginny. His heart gave a jolt when he saw her. She had gotten a bit taller over the summer and her red hair was longer. She glanced over and saw him. He was about to say hello when she turned on her heel and marched up the steps. Harry was sure he saw tears before she turned to walk up the steps.

Nobody said anything for a moment, but McGonagall's arrival from the door near the steps eased the tension a bit.

"Hello, are you ready to start?" she asked the group. It looked like she had been crying. Her eyes were puffy and she looked thinner, much like the Minister.

"Yeah," they all replied rather grimly.

"Dumbledore was strict in how he wanted his will read. Molly and Arthur, your box is in the kitchen."

They nodded and headed to the door that McGonagall had just came out of.

"Tonks and Lupin, your box is in the parlor."

They took the first door on the left.

"You four, your box is upstairs. It is the fourth door on your right in the study."

They nodded and walked up the stairs. They walked to the door and opened it. Hermione let out a soft gasp behind Harry. The study had many shelves of books and Harry knew that Hermione was itching to get her hands on some of the books in here. There were comfortable looking leather chairs around the room. A roaring fire was going in the grate and in front of it was a small coffee table and a couch. On the table, there was a square wooden box. The four sat in front of it, not knowing what to do. Harry reached down and tried to lift the box lid, but it wouldn't budge.

"How do we open it?" he asked, picking up the box and looking at it on all sides.

"There's a piece of parchment there," Neville pointed out.

Harry saw that underneath the box was a slip of parchment. He sat the box down

and picked it up. It read:

_Place your wand in one of the four holes._

Harry looked at the box and, sure enough, there were four holes in the side.

"We have to put our wands here," he said, pointing at the holes.

They placed their wands in each hole. Much like the gate outside, a small green light encircled each wand tip. The box clicked open and Harry lifted the top. Inside was a small Pensieve.

"What do we do?" Hermione asked, pulling the stone basin out of the box.

Suddenly, a silver mist rose from the bowl. Dumbledore materialized in the mist, his eyes twinkling even in the mist. Harry had a twinge of guilt. Most of the summer, he didn't even think about Dumbledore. He was so wrapped up with trying to figure out defense spells and figuring out where the Horcruxes could possibly be.

"Hello," Dumbledore said, looking very serene. "If you are watching this, then I have passed on. Like I told Harry a long time ago, death is just the next great adventure. Anyways, onto what this will was intended for.

"To Neville Longbottom, I grant you full access to Hogwarts private greenhouse. This greenhouse is off limits to students, but as your love of Herbology is so great, I think it is appropriate for you."

"To Ron Weasley, I leave to you and your family my house. I have no other blood relatives alive except my brother Aberforth, and he does not want this house. Also, all the money in my Gringotts vault is yours. The vault number is 294." A cry came from downstairs, presumably from Mrs. Weasley who just heard the same thing they heard. Ron's ears turned red and mumbled a thanks to the mist.

"To Hermione Granger, all the books in this library are yours. They have everything from wizard genealogy to very advanced spells in which I know you would love to get your hands on. Also, you have full permission to use the Restricted Section at Hogwarts, much to the dismay of our lovely librarian. Use this to help Harry on his quest."

"As for you Harry," Harry leaned forward a bit, "I would normally ask the others to leave when I tell you this, but more than likely you will tell your friends afterwards, so I shall save you from wasting your breath. I have a feeling that once I died, you would have no desire to go back to Hogwarts. Please do not do this. You will need more training to defeat Voldemort. You may be wondering why I have asked Mr. Longbottom here also. He will help you on your quest, just trust me on this. You will find out why soon. Also, there is a student who may be able to help you on your quest. Her name is Elinor Goodridge, a Hufflepuff who is a year behind you. She will help you with your future endeavors. I also leave you my Pensieve. You may use it whenever you like. I have many vials of memories I have not shown you and they are all in my cabinet. Watch them carefully, as some of them may lead to the other Horcrux locations. Lastly, trust Professor Snape." Harry's head snapped up. "Whatever quibble you may have had in the past with him, let it go. I have trusted Severus for many years, and will continue to trust him in my death. You will find a memory or two to confirm my trust in him. Also, Mr. Malfoy is not as bad as you may think. He is trying to live up to his father's expectations, but it is hard for him to, as his father is very critical of everything he does. Please remember this. On a closing note, I ask you to have your friends with you every step of the way. One cannot fight a war alone, Harry. Remember this."

The mist that was Dumbledore faded. Harry sat there dumfounded. How could, even in death, Dumbledore still trust Snape? Snape murdered him and he still believed in him! And this girl! Who was she and why did Dumbledore want for him to involve her too? Harry wanted to keep as many people out of this as possible and it seemed like Dumbledore kept piling on more people to help him. Wasn't he an adult now in the wizarding world? And what did Malfoy have to do with all of this? He was an accomplice to Dumbledore's murder and no better off than Snape.

"Harry?" asked Neville tentatively.

"What?" Harry snapped, still a little upset by the will.

"What's a Horcrux?"

Harry filled him in on the whole story. Everything from his visits with Dumbledore to look at various memories to the night when he went to the cave with him to his death. Neville seemed to gasp at the right spots and looked genuinely scared.

"But why does Dumbledore want me on the quest? I am horrible at magic," he said, looking down.

"Neville, don't you dare say that. Ever since D.A. you have gotten better with your spell casting," Hermione said, patting him on the shoulder.

"So where do we go from here?" Ron asked Harry.

"I don't know. We have to start looking with what little time of the summer have left. Maybe McGonagall will let us go to the school to start using the Pensieve."

"What happens when school starts?" Hermione asked.

"Well, we'll have to work between studying and classes. Most likely on the weekends, I guess."

At this moment, the door burst open. McGonagall, who always looked composed, looked like a mess. Her eyes were puffy and red, and her usual stiff posture was anything but that.

"Tell me everything," she croaked. "Tell me everything about the Horcruxes."

"Professor McGonagall, are you all right?" Hermione asked, getting up to help her to a chair.

"He asked me to ask you to tell me everything so tell me. Start at the beginning. I would like to know what was going on in my husband's mind the night he died."


	3. Back To Privet Drive

A/N: Just a quick note to say that _Verum Reperio_ means Truth Discover or a charm to find out if someone is telling the truth. I didn't really expect Lupin to throw Veritaserum down Petunia's throat :)

_As if the night couldn't get any weirder_, Harry thought.

"Your husband?" Harry asked.

"We were married quite some time ago, before you were even born. We kept it a secret for so long, as he didn't want to see me harmed. During the first war, we were both a physical wreck. We were worrying about what would happen if someone found out and told Voldemort." She winced at the name. She took a small locket from around her neck and held it. "This was our wedding ring. He transfigured it into a locket so we would not raise suspicions. He put a special charm on it so that if one of us were to be," she fought back tears, "killed, the other one would know and it would burn red hot. I knew the second he died. When I saw him lying there, I just couldn't believe my eyes." She burst into tears and Hermione went by her side and put her arm around her. McGonagall turned her head and cried into Hermione's shoulder. Harry had never seen her so emotional. Usually, she was composed and ordered.

Sniffling back tears and wiping her eyes, she asked Harry, "Now Mr. Potter, if you would tell me everything."

Harry told her the same story he told Neville. McGonagall nodded and didn't ask any questions throughout the whole thing.

"Well, what must be done, must be done," she said simply, back to her old self. "It's nearly one o'clock. All of you need to get to bed. I have some last minute things to do at Hogwarts. Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger, if you would show Harry his room, I would appreciate it."

"Yes, Professor," Hermione replied, standing up.

McGonagall left, and Harry just sat there.

"What's wrong?" Neville asked.

"This is just way too much to take in," Harry replied, rubbing his eyes. "Especially in less than an hour."

"Well, we need to get some sleep," Hermione said. "When we get up, we'll be a bit more coherent and we can get to work on finding the Horcruxes."

"You're right," Harry replied, standing up.

Walking out into the hallway, they walked up the next flight of stairs. They passed a door and Harry could see Ginny's eyes looking out. When she realized he saw her, she slammed the door. Harry had a feeling the rest of the summer would pass by like this. Ron and Hermione exchanged glances, but didn't say anything.

"Here it is, mate," Ron said, opening a door on their left.

It was like Harry walked into his dormitory at Hogwarts. Everything was draped in crimson and gold. The bed was larger than the bed at Hogwarts and could have fit twelve people in it comfortably. In the sitting area, there was a crimson couch along with two matching armchairs. These surrounded a coffee table which was in front of a fire. Off of the bedroom was a bathroom which included a shower and a claw-foot bathtub. There was red and gold tiling and a large mirror.

"Wow," was all Harry said.

"Get some sleep," Hermione said. "Like Ron said, we'll get a start first thing tomorrow."

Hermione went to make a move towards the door at the same time Ron did. They made a nervous laugh and went for the same spot again.

"After you," Ron said, his ears turning red.

Hermione nodded and walked out the door. Harry just smiled.

"What are you smiling at?" he asked.

"When are you going to ask her to be your girlfriend?" Harry asked, laughing.

Ron's face turned even redder than his ears, making his whole head look like a giant tomato. "For your information, I already did. I asked her shortly after she got here, in which she said yes."

"Took you long enough. Only took, what? Six years?" Harry said, grinning broadly.

Ron didn't say anything, but just walked calmly over to Harry's bed and threw a pillow at his head. Harry grabbed his wand quickly and waved it. The pillow stopped in midair and hit Ron instead. They both laughed.

"Okay, I'm leaving now. Good night," Ron said, shutting the door behind him.

Harry didn't realize how tired he was until he flopped on the bed. He took his glasses off and placed them on the nightstand. As soon as his head hit the pillow, he was out.

"Harry! Harry! Get up!" came a voice.

"Whatisit?" Harry mumbled.

"Something's happened, get up now!"

Harry grabbed his glasses and put them on to see Ron standing there.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked, jumping out of bed and grabbing his wand.

"Just come. Lupin is downstairs waiting," he replied, running out of the room.

Panic spread through Harry. Harry threw his shoes on and ran out of the room behind Ron.

They got to the bottom of the last flight of stairs and Lupin just said, "Come on."

They walked down the path and out of the gate.

"What is going on?" Harry asked.

"There's been an accident. Grab onto my arm, you two."

Harry and Ron grabbed on and went through the black tube. Where they came out at, made Harry's heart stop. They were at 4 Privet Drive. But there was no 4 Privet Drive there.

The house which occupied 4 Privet Drive was a pile of rubble. Harry didn't have to ask what had happened, because when his eyes traveled toward the sky, a large green smoky symbol made his heart stop. The Dark Mark.

He start moving the bits of debris to find his relatives. He hated the Dursley's but by no means wanted them dead.

"H-Harry?" came a woman's voice from where the backyard was.

Harry ran to the backyard and saw Aunt Petunia and his cousin Dudley crouched on the ground in fear. Harry went running towards them, but as soon as he got within five feet of them, he was blasted off of his feet. Jumping back up to his feet, he had his wand out, ready to fight the person who blasted him off of his feet. However, there was no one there.

"What the-" Ron started from behind Harry.

Harry walked up to the invisible barrier that separated him from his aunt and cousin. Slowly, she stood up and the barrier disappeared.

"What is going on?" Harry asked, clearly at a loss for words.

"Wait a minute, Harry," came Lupin's voice. He pointed his wand at Aunt Petunia, who whimpered. "It won't hurt, I'm just making sure she is who she says she is. A simple lying detection spell. _Verum reperio_!"

A green light shone brightly around both Aunt Petunia and Dudley. Dudley automatically grabbed his rump, probably recalling his last encounter with magic.

"Okay, it's them," Lupin said, replacing his wand back into his robes.

"What happened?" Harry asked, looking around at what used to be his summer home.

"Not here, Harry. We don't know if there are any Death Eaters still around. I

can't handle all of you." He went over and picked up a piece of what looked like Dudley's old radio. "Don't tell anyone, Harry," he said, chuckling a bit. "_Portus_!" The piece of plastic glowed a bit and returned to normal. "Okay, now everyone place a finger on it, we only have ten seconds." Everyone touched the plastic except Dudley.

"Put your finger on it," Harry said.

"No. That thing might take my head off," he replied stubbornly.

"Put your bloody finger on it!" Ron said, getting impatient.

"No, Ron, leave him here. Apparently he wants to be killed by men in masks. Or even better, be tortured," Harry said, hoping his plan of scaring Dudley even more would work.

Dudley squealed and put his finger on the radio part. They went through a whirlwind and Dudley screamed. As soon as they started, they had stopped. Dudley landed on Ron and Aunt Petunia had landed on Harry. Lupin didn't land on anyone and was brushing his robes off as the others got up. They went through the gate and on up to the house without a word. They headed to the downstairs parlor, in which McGonagall was sitting by the fire.

"Is everything all right?" she asked, standing up.

"We got Petunia and Dudley out. We couldn't spot Vernon though," Lupin replied.

"This isn't good. This isn't good at all," McGonagall said, facing the fire again.

Aunt Petunia, who seemed to be in a state of shock the whole time finally broke down. She fell to the floor crying and Dudley and Harry helped her up and took her to the nearest chair. McGonagall went to the liquor cabinet and pulled a glass out and poured a shot of Ogden's Firewhisky. She then poured a glass of mulled mead for everyone, including Petunia and Dudley.

They all sipped for a while, and then Petunia said, "I'm ready to talk now." They all looked at her. "First off, Harry, I apologize for how awful I have treated you over the years. I had the normal disagreements with my sister, but never any that resulted in not talking for many years. I guess when she died, I couldn't accept the fact that she was gone and I took it out on you. Again, I am so very sorry and I know I can't go back and change time.

"I guess your uncle egged me on most of the time, which is certainly no excuse. He was very bitter from the standpoint that all his life he was in a well to do family. Then one day, his family was broke. Not over time or anything, but he woke up and was broke. His father gambled their entire checking and savings accounts and lost it all. He vowed he would try to make a better life when he got married and had children, but he always thought you put a kink into the perfect family he always wanted. I should have stopped him from his rudeness to you, but I couldn't. I don't know why, but I just couldn't.

"To answer your question about tonight, it was the charm your mother put on you. The charm in which you would be safe as long as you were under my care. However, the charm didn't have an expiration date for me, nor Dudley, as he is my blood. Even after you left, the spell continued on and somehow I could feel it. A few hours after you left, they came, those Death Eaters. They burst through the door and Vernon told me to run. I didn't want to, but I knew I had to protect Dudley. I saw a flash of green light as soon as we got out into the backyard and the house fell. I couldn't move, and they came after us. I did the natural maternal instinct and put myself between Dudley and them. I could feel something rise inside me, like a snake about to strike. As soon as they said the words, the light rebounded off of me and hit them. I don't think it killed them though, just injured. After that, it was only minutes before you and your friend here showed up," she finished.

Harry blinked. He wished he could have a normal birthday, or halfway normal at least.

"Harry, can you forgive me?" Petunia asked earnestly.

Harry nodded. He couldn't just shut out Aunt Petunia, no matter how awful she was over the years.

Aunt Petunia burst into tears and hugged Harry. "Thank you so much," she cried.

"This has been a hard day on all of us," McGonagall said, waving her wand and making the glasses disappear. For once, Dudley didn't wince at the sight of a wand. "Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, please find a spare room for each of them. They are going to be here for quite a while for their own safety."

The boys nodded and lead the way upstairs. They found a couple of spare rooms on the second floor for Aunt Petunia and Dudley, and after Aunt Petunia was in her room, Dudley did something he never did before. He held his hand out to shake Harry's. Harry looked at it for a second and shook it.

"Thank you for forgiving mum," he said. "I always thought magic was horrid, but after tonight, I don't think it's so bad." He turned and walked into his room. Harry and Ron heard a loud gasp. Harry assumed that Dudley had officially seen the largest room he had ever seen. Ron and Harry just shook their heads.

Walking up the stairs to the third floor, Harry realized something.

"Wait a minute. Why didn't Hermione come with us?" he asked.

"Oh…yeah. Um, well she found this book and she, um, was really like interested in it, so I, um, left her to read," Ron replied, not looking at Harry.

Harry stopped. "Ron, what did you do to Hermione?"

"Nothing serious. I didn't want her to go because I didn't want her to get hurt, but she wouldn't listen to me."

Harry heard a scraping noise coming from Hermione's room and Harry turned and opened her door. Inside, Hermione was tied to a chair with magical ropes. Her face was red and her curly hair in her face. She looked like she was screaming and yelling, but she wasn't making any sound. She saw Harry and mouthed, "Could you possibly help me?"

"Ron, for future reference, girlfriends usually don't like to be tied up and silenced by their boyfriends. Even though I do like quiet Hermione," Harry laughed.

Hermione gave him a look that reminded them a lot of Mrs. Weasley.


	4. RAB

A/N: Not to go too much into detail, but J.K. Rowling came out and said that Dean's father was indeed a wizard who was killed by Death Eaters. Dean never knew this, so the whole time he thought he was Muggleborn. This won't play a big role in my story, but just letting you know in advance

The next morning, Harry, Ron, and Hermione went downstairs for breakfast, eager to start their day. Much to their surprise, the subdued house from last night was in a frenzy this morning.

"What is going on?" Harry asked a passing Mrs. Weasley.

"Oh, hello, you three," she said, shifting some table linens in her arms. "We only have a week before the wedding and we're still behind schedule. Your Aunt is being lovely and helping out as much as she can. Breakfast is in the kitchen and I think Remus and your cousin are still there. I believe Remus wanted to talk to you, Harry" she finished, not breathing once while she spoke.

They walked into the kitchen, and sure enough, Lupin and Dudley were talking. Harry never thought that he would have seen this scene in his lifetime.

Sitting down and filling his plate up with eggs and bacon, Harry asked, "Mrs. Weasley said that you wanted to talk with me?"

"Yes, I do. I know you want to set out and start on your quest-"

"How did you know about my quest?" Harry asked, sounding shocked.

"I don't know the details or what it's about, but Dumbledore told me to watch

over you on your quest. If you wish to tell me the full details, be my guest, but I won't interfere. As far as today goes, we'll be leaving here in an hour so you and Ron can take your Apparition tests. You may find it hard to find time for the next week or so because of the wedding frenzy going on. It's actually going to be a double wedding," he said, finishing off his eggs.

"A double wedding? Who else is getting married besides Bill and Fleur?"

A twinkle came into Lupin's eye. "Well, that brings me to my next question. Would you like to stand in as my best man, Harry?"

"You're getting married?" Harry said, eggs hanging out of his mouth.

Lupin laughed. "Yes, Tonks and I are getting married. After much debate and many curses flung my way, she won and the next day I was picking out wedding robes. When we told Bill and Fleur, Fleur just insisted on a double wedding. Before I had my say in it, I was in a double wedding."

"How is Bill?" Harry asked, referring to his run-in with Fenrir Greyback.

"A lot better than we expected. His wounds healed up after a couple of weeks. He has deep scars, but it's better than the alternative. There is no other real characteristics he's showing, but sometimes he does get a craving for raw meat."

After finishing their breakfast, Hermione said, "I think we can work for a bit before you have to leave."

"Where do we start though?" Ron asked, stepping off to the side to avoid Mrs. Weasley, who was moving even more table linens now.

"R.A.B.," Hermione replied simply.

"Why start with him?" Harry asked.

"He's the only solid lead we have. If we can find out who he is, we may be able to find the locket," she said, pushing the door open in the library. To their surprise, Neville was sitting in a chair with a book on his lap.

"I thought I would do a bit of reading to see if I could find anything about Horcruxes in these books," he said, shutting the book.

"I don't think they would be in these books," Hermione replied, looking at the titles, "I don't see the Dumbledore family as having many books on the Dark Arts."

"Do you even know how to destroy them?" Neville asked, replacing the book on

the shelf.

Harry stopped. How did one destroy a Horcrux?

"We'll eventually find out," Hermione said. "If worst comes to worst, we'll make a little trip to Knockturn Alley. There has to be a bookstore there somewhere."

Neville gulped. "W-well, okay then."

"Nice little plan, Hermione," said Harry, "but I can't exactly just waltz into Knockturn Alley. I think someone would recognize me."

"Don't worry. I overheard Ron's dad talking about how they have a supply of Polyjuice Potion down in the basement for when they have to do undercover work for the Order."

"Oh joy," Ron replied sarcastically, recalling their last experience with Polyjuice Potion.

"Ah! Here it is!" Hermione exclaimed, pulling a very thick book down. The leather bound book was so large that it almost toppled Hermione over when she pulled it off the shelf. The book was obviously very old, as the pages were starting to fray at the edges. "We might as well start here."

Harry read the title of the book aloud, "_Wizarding Genealogy of Pureblood Families_. We don't even know if R.A.B. is pureblood or not though."

"Well, we can at least try. I saw this book in the Hogwarts library and just glanced at it," she said, sitting on the couch and opening the book on her lap. "It updates itself once a person is born into the family and it also gives a picture of that person."

"And if a person is a Squib?" Ron asked.

"They will go a couple generations past the Squib, just in case there is any magical children born," she replied simply.

She started thumbing through the pages, and Harry saw many different family trees from the most prominent families in the wizarding world: Malfoy, Macmillian, Weasley, Longbottom, Gaunt and so on.

"It might take a minute," Hermione said. "Instead of being alphabetized, it's in

order of how long the family has been around."

Harry and Ron left her to read and just sat their waiting. After about five minutes, Hermione asked, "Isn't Dean a Muggle-born?"

"Where did that come from?" Ron asked, coming out of his daydream.

She put the book on the table so they could all see. "Doesn't that man look an awful lot like Dean?"

Sure enough, the wizard smiling up at them and waving looked exactly like Dean.

The only difference was that the man in the picture looked to be in his mid-twenties. The man's death date was underneath the picture, and it showed he died shortly after Dean was born.

"That can't be Dean's dad," Neville said, looking closely at the picture. "He talks about his dad all the time. It must just be a coincidence or something."

"Too much of a coincidence for me," Hermione said, marking the page by folding the edge down. "I'm going to look into it today when we go to London."

"Hermione, I think you are making a big thing about this when it isn't that big of a deal. So what? He looks like Dean," Harry said.

"You're probably right, but it can't hurt to look up the name. Anyways, back on target here. R.A.B.," she said, flipping to the front of the book. "Might as well start with the oldest family, which is Malfoy." She ran her finger down the page and stopped. Flipping furiously forward a few pages, Harry recognized the family tree that was up at Grimmauld Place.

Just as it clicked in his mind, Hermione said, "Any chance it's Sirius' brother who took the locket?"

"Why would it be Sirius' brother, Hermione?" Ron said, looking over her shoulder.

"Are you guys talking about Sirius Black?" Neville asked.

"Yes and it makes sense, Ron," Hermione replied. "Regulus Arcturus Black. Remember Sirius said he left the Death Eaters and was killed shortly afterwards. What if he had enough time to get the Horcrux and hide it from Voldemort?"

"The locket," Harry said.

"What?"

"Ron, remember when we were cleaning out Grimmauld Place before fifth year? We came across a locket we couldn't open?"

"Vaguely."

"What if that was the Slytherin locket? We had it in our hands literally and we chunked it aside as if it was a piece of trash!"

"What if it didn't get thrown out?" Hermione said.

"What?" Harry replied.

"Remember Kreacher? He was picking up various things we tossed aside and hid them. What if it's hiding beneath the water tank at Grimmauld Place?"

"Kreacher, come here now!" Harry shouted, hoping it would work. Sure enough, a split second later, a popping sound was heard and Kreacher was lying on the floor, curled up in a little ball, sleeping and snoring.

"Get up," Harry said, nudging the house elf with his foot.

"Oh, don't," Hermione said. "Let him sleep."

Harry gave her a look and Kreacher woke up.

"Hello, master," the house-elf said, bowing deeply. "I'm no longer your house-elf though. Harry Potter is a lover of filthy Mudbloods," he muttered.

"Enough! Kreacher, did you ever take a locket at Grimmauld Place?"

"Of course, sir. Kreacher only wanted to protect his beloved mistress' items. A wonderful mistress she was. Kreacher should be up on the wall with his ancestors and not here taking care of Mudblood lovers," he muttered again.

"Better be careful there," Ron said, "we can make that happen real quick."

"Ron!" Hermione gasped.

"Get out of here," Harry said, and with a small pop, he was gone. "That settles it. We have to go to Grimmauld Place."

"One little problem though," Ron said.

"What?"

"It's a Death Eater hideout now. As soon as Dumbledore died, somehow they found out the secret and got into the house. Unless we are wearing black cloaks and masks, they won't let us within fifty meters of the house without killing us."

"Well, we might have to have some of that Polyjuice Potion earlier than expected."

A knock came on the door and Dudley walked in. He was wearing black robes, which shocked the others.

"Lupin says it's time to go."

"What are you wearing?" Harry asked, making his way toward the door.

"Oh, I begged Lupin and mum to go with you guys. They said I should wear these to blend in."

"Can Muggles see the Ministry of Magic?" Harry asked Hermione.

"Can't see why not. If a Muggle-born has to take their Apparation test, I think they can have their parent there."

Walking down the steps, Tonks and Lupin were standing there, fastening the buttons on their cloaks.

"You five ready?" Tonks asked.

They all nodded and walked out into the blinding sunlight.


	5. Apparition

A/N: Hopefully, I got the amount right here at the beginning. Math is not my best subject :) Name meanings: Boyd Bailey means Blond Steward. Gary is the original name of Dean in the books, but J.K. decided to change it to Dean. Enjoy :)

"As there are so many of us going, we're going to take the Knight Bus. Hopefully we can Apparate back when we're done," Lupin said, holding his wand in his hand and throwing it up, like he was hailing a cab. Suddenly, with a cry from Dudley, a purple, triple-decker bus was before them. Harry, Ron, and Hermione groaned. The Knight Bus was not their favorite mode of transportation.

Boarding the bus, there was a new conductor. Harry recalled seeing him in his second year, but couldn't recall his name. He had bright blond hair resembling Dudley's and a very long nose. He was very tall and very skinny.

"Welcome to the Knight Bus, magical transportation for any stranded witch or wizard. I am Boyd Bailey, your conductor this morning. Where will you be traveling to?"

"Ministry of Magic," Lupin replied.

"That will be twenty Sickles each. So that means nine Galleons and seven Sickles."

Lupin pushed the money into the conductors hand. They took seats on the first floor, as it was almost bare except for an old witch who was sobbing quietly. Harry should have been used to this by now, due to the times, but it still hurt him to see people crying over lost ones taken by Voldemort and his gang of Death Eaters.

"Go on, Ernie," Boyd said, tapping the glass.

The bus jolted forward and suddenly they were in a crowded city. Dudley squealed, much like he did before Harry's first year when Hagrid gave him a pig's tail. The chairs in which they were seated flew the to front and to the back with every sharp turn and jump. Harry closed his eyes, as not to be sick. He heard Ron groan beside him and hoped that Ron wouldn't get sick.

Suddenly the bus stopped. Harry thanked the slight break and opened his eyes. Dudley was looking very green, as was everyone else.

"Next stop, Ministry of Magic!" shouted Ernie, shutting the doors to the Knight Bus. Harry quickly shut his eyes again.

He could feel them speeding along and then felt another jump. A thud and a groan could be heard next to him. He opened his eyes a bit and saw Dudley on top of Hermione. He felt very sorry for Hermione.

"Ministry of Magic!" Boyd yelled as the bus jerked to a stop.

Harry and the others hurried off the bus. The sunshine that had hit their face wasn't present here in London. Clouds overhead threatened rain and thunder could be heard in the distance. The street was deserted, except for the rundown phone booth in front of them.

"I thought we were going to the Ministry of Magic!" Dudley exclaimed, looking around trying to find the large building that should have been there.

"We can't all fit in there," Tonks said. "I'll go first with Hermione. Ron and Neville next. Then you three last."

"What on earth are you talking about?" Dudley asked stupidly. "Fit in where?"

Without answering him, Hermione and Tonks walked into the booth. Tonks punched in a few numbers on the keypad and their bodies started to slowly go down. Soon, their heads were gone, and the floor had risen again.

"You know the code, Ron?" Lupin asked.

"62442?"

"That's it."

Ron and Neville squeezed into the phone booth and they too slowly went down. As soon as the floor came back up, Lupin held the door open for Harry. Harry walked in, but Dudley stayed back.

"What's the matter?" Harry asked.

"Isn't it a bit small for all three of us?"

"Trust me, you'll fit," Harry said, as Lupin walked in, followed by Dudley.

Harry didn't think they would fit, but, unlike last time he used it, the phone booth

seemed to expand magically. It took a moment for Dudley to realize what had happened, and when he did he gasped.

"This wasn't this big before was it?"

"Nope," Harry replied, handing the phone to Lupin and dialing 62442.

A woman's voice came over the sound system.

"Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your name and business."

"Remus Lupin, Harry Potter, and Dudley Dursley. Harry Potter is here for an Apparition test and Remus Lupin and Dudley Dursley are here for…uh…moral support."

"Visitors will need to visit the security desk and present their wands. You may

find the desk at the end of the Atrium. Have a nice day."

Three silver badges popped into the coin slot. Harry saw his had "Apparition Test" inscribed on it. Dudley's and Lupin's had "Moral Support" etched onto theirs. However, Dudley's had the word Muggle underneath Moral Support.

"Wow," Harry said, passing the badges out. "They knew that Dudley was a Muggle."

"A what?" Dudley asked, looking at his badge.

"Non-magic person," Harry replied.

"It has an internal roster of every witch and wizard. They put it on the badge so

the security guard doesn't ask to see their wand," Lupin replied as the floor started to go down.

"Like a computer?" Dudley said, pinning his badge to his robes.

"A what?"

"Wizards don't have computers," Harry muttered in Dudley's ear.

"They don't?!" Dudley gasped. Apparently he thought everyone had computers.

When the door opened, it was Harry's turn to gasp. What used to be a magnificent building, now looked dull. The room wasn't as bright as Harry remembered it, and the blue ceiling seemed to have more symbols moving across it. There were hardly any people in the main atrium, and the air seemed to be filled with the Ministry memos which were disguised as paper airplanes. The fountain that was destroyed at the end of Harry's fifth year was repaired, but the fountain was turned off.

"This is your Ministry of Magic?" Dudley asked, obviously not impressed.

"What happened?" Harry asked.

"In trying times like these, Harry, it's hard to keep up on appearance," Lupin replied, guiding them to the end of the hall.

The others were just finishing up at the security desk as they arrived. The old man saw them coming and pulled out the golden rod in which he used to inspect Harry on his previous visit. He ran it up and down Harry and Lupin, and stopped before he got to Dudley, eyeing him suspiciously.

"What's he doing here?" he grumbled.

"He's a relative," Lupin replied simply.

The watchwizard waited a moment before letting them pass. They made their way to the twelve golden grates that took people to the different levels of the Ministry of Magic.

Stepping into one, Lupin pressed the number six to take them to the Department of Magical Transportation.

"Professor Lupin?" Hermione asked.

"Hermione, I'm not your professor anymore, you may call me Lupin," he replied.

"Yes, Lupin. I found some information today and I was wondering if it was possible to stop by the _Daily Prophet_ to look something up."

"Well, if you are looking for back issues, they won't be at the _Daily Prophet_."

"Where would they be?"

"Right here in the Ministry, actually. I believe on the first floor. We're already

past it, but you, Tonks, and Neville can go. The first floor is where the Minister of Magic's office is, but the archives are also on that floor. Just ask the witch who's at the information desk and she'll direct you."

"You're not taking the test?" Ron asked Neville.

"No, I took mine yesterday. I just barely passed. I knew if I didn't, Gran would have my skin. I think she was actually surprised I passed," he replied.

Stepping off onto the sixth floor, Hermione, Neville, and Tonks remained in the lift.

"Good luck, Harry," Hermione said as the doors closed.

The Department of Magical Transportation looked like the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Many cubicles made up the room and small signs above a certain cluster of cubicles told the person which way they needed to go.

"Right at the end here," Lupin said, nudging Harry forward.

Harry passed many witches and wizards who looked tired. Some of them were actually snoozing at their desks and were jerked awake when a paper airplane would fly onto their desk. Harry was saddened a bit by how much the wizarding world had changed. When he was here before, witches and wizards were bright and cheerful and talking. Now, they hardly spoke.

They walked to the very end and saw a door that said "Apparition Test Center." They pushed the door open to find a large desk with a witch sitting behind it. She wasn't that old, maybe in her mid-twenties and had dark brown hair. Her eyes were a chocolaty brown and in Harry's opinion was very attractive. Ron must have thought so too as his mouth was opened slightly.

Harry nudged him and whispered, "Hermione, remember?" They both stifled a laugh.

"Harry Potter and Ron Weasley are here to take Apparition tests," Lupin said, turning slightly red himself.

"What about him?" she asked, pointing to Dudley with her quill.

"No, just these two."

"Okay. Let me get the harness and I'll be ready," she replied, standing from her desk.

"Harness?" Harry asked.

"They harness themselves to you so they won't lose you during the trip," Lupin replied.

"How are we supposed to turn in them?"

"Trust me, you'll manage."

"I'd like to be harnessed to her any day," Dudley said, straining his neck and

waiting for her to come back. Harry and Ron rolled their eyes.

"Okay, here we go," she said, coming back and planking the harness onto the desk. "I'll take you first, Mr. Potter. Then you'll be next, Mr. Weasley. Due to the circumstances of our world at this time, we will be doing the test inside the Ministry of Magic. I will ask each of you to Apparate to different floors, and if you don't Splinch yourself or leave me behind, you will pass this test. Now follow me," she finished, going around her desk and holding the door open for Harry.

As soon as they were outside the door, she attached the harness to both of them.

"This is just a safety thing," she said, finishing latching the last buckle. She then pulled out a small clipboard which had a small sheet of parchment on it. She took out a quill and sucked on the end of it, much like a Quick-Quotes Quill. "Now, Apparate to the end of the floor near the lift."

Harry turned on the spot, which was a bit difficult to do with the instructor strapped to him. He saw complete black for a split second and found himself in front of the lift.

"Good," the instructor said, making notes on the clipboard. "Next stop, the Atrium."

Again, Harry turned on the spot and a split second later, found himself near the

fireplaces in which witches and wizards used for traveling by Floo Powder.

"Excellent. Now the next location will be a bit more precise. I understand you have had a hearing her before?"

Harry nodded, remembering the trial that had taken place before his fifth year.

"Good, now Apparate to the left of Courtroom Ten."

Harry concentrated and pictured Courtroom Ten and appearing to the left of it. When he opened his eyes, he was next to the courtroom in which his trial had taken place. He could hear screams coming from inside.

"Lucius Malfoy, you are hereby brought here today on charges of fraternizing with and doing the bidding of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. How do you plead?" came a gruff voice.

"The Dark Lord will win this time!" came Lucius Malfoy's voice. He sounded deranged and crazy, which was very different from his normal cool voice. Apparently, Azkaban did not treat him well.

"Come now," the instructor said, "we shouldn't be listening. Now if you would, Apparate back to the Apparition Test Center."

Harry wished he could have stayed and listened a bit longer, but he did as he was told. Appearing in front of the door, Harry saw Ron, Lupin, and Dudley standing there.

"Well, Mr. Potter, you did extremely well. You passed with flying colors. I'll do Mr. Weasley here and will present you with your license when I return."

Within five minutes, Ron was back and smiling.

"Excellent work both of you," the instructor said, making final notes on her clipboard. "Now come inside and I shall give you both your Apparating licenses."

They each signed a small piece of parchment and as they came out Hermione, Tonks, and Neville were waiting for them by the lifts.

"Well, did you find anything out on that guy?" Ron asked.

"It's Dean's father," Hermione said, pulling out an article from an old _Daily __Prophet_. "His name was Gary Stevenson and he was killed by Death Eaters."

"Then he can't be Dean's father if his last name is Stevenson," Ron said, leaning back against the lift as it started to go up.

"That's interesting, as it says in the article he is preceded death by his only son, Dean Stevenson. His mother must have married another man and changed Dean's last name. That's the only logical explanation."

"I still think you are looking too much into this Hermione," Harry said, stepping out of the lift, passing a man who was carrying a box that was growling inside.

"It's better than not looking into it all," she replied, a bit of irritation apparent in her voice.

"Are you guys ready to head back?" Tonks said. "I'll Apparate Dudley, as I think you guys can handle yourselves now," she finished with a wink.


	6. The Wedding

A/N: The scene in which Hermione flops on Harry's bed is supposed to be a take on a Grey's Anatomy episode in which Meredith and Izzie flop onto George's bed. Seriously :) Name meanings: Aurelie means golden. Septemius is a relative of the Weasley's. Terrwyn means fair and brave. Faolan means wolf and Rainer means army counsel.

Upon their arrival at Dumbledore mansion, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville found their Hogwarts letters waiting for them. Harry's and Hermione's were quite a bit thicker than Ron's and Neville's. Ripping open his letter, Harry read:

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_It is my pleasure to announce that you are now Head Boy at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Enclosed is your badge and important announcements to discuss with the prefects on the Hogwarts Express. _

_Also, your services as Quidditch captain are no longer needed. We have decided to cancel Quidditch matches, due to safety reasons._

_Upon further discussion with teachers and school governors, we have decided to have Hogwarts remain open. Extra precautions have been placed around the school and a team of Aurors will be on guard around the school. During Hogsmeade weekends, Aurors will be in the village and at the school._

_Sincerely yours,_

_Filius Flitwick_

_Deputy Headmaster_

A silver badge was inside the envelope which bared the words, "Head Boy" on it. Why did McGonagall make him Head Boy if she knew about his search for the remaining Horcruxes? He heard a squeak and saw that Hermione had an identical badge.

As if on cue, McGonagall walked into the foyer where they had all read their Hogwarts letters.

"Professor, I can't be Head Boy. I have to search for the Horcruxes and I think that it will take up most of my time," Harry said, holding out the badge.

"Potter, I made you Head Boy because you are the perfect candidate. Head Boys lead their school and are called upon first. I believe you had no trouble running a secret Defense Against the Dark Arts club in your fifth year."

"But Professor-"

"Potter, the discussion is over. You and Miss Granger will help lead the school through these trying times. The duties of Head Boy should not interfere with your quest. If you happen to be gone on a day in which you have duties to attend to, I will find a suitable replacement for you for that day. Now, I have some business to attend to. Mr. Weasley," she said, turning to Ron, " your mother has informed me that the day after the wedding, she will take you and the others to Diagon Alley to get your books and supplies for this upcoming school year. Now, off you go," she finished, shooing them off.

The next week went by in a whirlwind of table linens, decorations, and dress robes. Harry must have tried on a few dozen dress robes before Mrs. Weasley and Tonks had decided that he should wear dark green robes, much like his Yule Ball attire.

The night before the wedding, Harry laid in bed, thinking of what a wizard wedding would entail. He had never seen one before, but the way people were behaving, it didn't seem all that different from a Muggle wedding.

Harry fell asleep, thinking of what Ginny might look like tomorrow. He knew she would look wonderful in whatever she was in. He was in a deep sleep when a bright light started to burn his eyes.

"Whuzzgoinon?" he grumbled into his pillow.

"Move over," said Hermione, plopping down onto the bed.

Harry looked at his watch and muttered sleepily, "Hermione, it's two in the morning. Go to bed."

"What is wrong with me?"

"You're a nutter because you're not asleep," Harry replied rolling over onto his stomach.

"Ron and I have been going out for a week and he still treats me like I'm his friend. He never acted like this with Lavender. He's acting like a giant git! Seriously!" she said, exasperated.

"Hermione, Ron likes you and has from day one. He doesn't know how to act around you because you two have been friends for almost seven years. Now go back to bed," Harry said, putting the pillow over his head.

"Well, that will all change tomorrow," she huffed as she walked out of the room.

_Women_, Harry thought as he drifted back off to sleep.

If Harry thought that the week had passed had been a frenzy, he was seriously mistaken. He was woken up by Mrs. Weasley and handed him some toast and eggs on a tray. He barely finished with his breakfast when Bill came running into his room wondering if Harry had seen his shoes, to which Harry replied no.

Harry stepped out into the hallway after putting his robes on and saw a sea of red hair. The Weasley family was a large one, and almost all of them had the same red hair and freckles. He saw Hermione coming towards him, which wasn't hard in a crowd of Weasleys.

Hermione had her hair up in rollers and looked like she was in the process of putting makeup on.

"Lupin wants to talk to you. He's down in the kitchen I think," she said, rushing past

him.

Sure enough, Lupin was in the kitchen, sitting in a chair that was next to a small scrubbed table. His wedding robes were black with a little white, and actually resembled a tuxedo. He was finishing tying up his shoes when he noticed Harry walked in. His face was a little green and he looked very nervous, which Harry couldn't remember a time when he had seen Lupin like this. Usually, he was very composed.

"Sit, Harry," he said, motioning to the seat next to him.

Harry sat and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing. Just pre-wedding jitters I guess. I just wanted to run by you what will happen during the ceremony. It is very much like a Muggle ceremony, the only difference is the wizard presiding will ask you to come forward, place your hand on my shoulder and ask you if you believe that I am a suitable candidate for the bride. Same goes for Tonks, only Hermione is her maid of honor. Very simple." He got up and looked out the window, in which the altar could be seen and the chairs placed in front of them were starting to fill up. Not only were there many Weasleys, there were also quite a few people from the Ministry of Magic. "Well, we should be getting out there. They are starting to pile in. How do I look?" he asked, straightening his robes.

"Like a guy who's about to get married," Harry replied with a smile.

Lupin laughed. "Never thought I would hear that. After you," he said, holding the door open for Harry.

The garden was absolutely gorgeous. Many flowers were in bloom, both Muggle and magical alike. There was a large white tent nearby in which the reception was to be held later, and inside the tent, many small tables surrounded a large dance floor.

Harry walked behind Lupin up to the altar and noticed many familiar faces. Perkins from Mr. Weasley's previous job in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts office was present, as was Kingsley Shacklebolt, and much to Harry's displeasure, Umbridge and Scrimgeour too. Harry noticed up at the altar, an older wizard dressed in royal purple robes was holding a small book, waiting for the ceremony to start. In front of him was Bill, who's face was badly scarred, but he still had the same charm before he got attacked by Fenrir Greyback. Next to Bill was Ron and Charlie, both who were wearing maroon robes. Harry laughed to himself, as he knew Ron hated maroon.

"Everyone," said the old wizard, "if you would please settle down, the ceremony is about to start!"

The crowd's chatter died down and out of nowhere, came wedding music. A long red carpet magically unraveled itself between the two sets of seats and Gabrielle Delacour started to walk down it. Many people were staring with their mouths open. She, like her sister, was part veela and had grown up to be very beautiful. Her hair wasn't quite as long as Fleur's, but it had the same shine.

After her came Ginny. Harry's heart skipped a beat as she walked down the aisle. She was wearing pale gold robes, and he red hair was up in a complicated bun. She looked absolutely gorgeous. She walked up the altar and stood near Harry. He remembered smelling the flowery smell from the Amortentia from his Potions class last year, and he could smell the same scent radiating off of Ginny.

Fleur came to the end of the red carpet and everyone stood. She wore white robes and looked like an angel floating down the aisle. Mrs. Weasley, who was sitting in the front row, dabbed a handkerchief at her eyes at the sight of Fleur. When Fleur arrived at the end, Bill took her hand and helped her up the few steps to the altar.

Everyone then turned to see who was next to come down the aisle. Hermione stood there in pale pink robes. Her hair was down in soft curls, which Harry thought must have taken quite a bit of Sleekeazy's Hair Potion to get it to stay like that. He remembered how she wanted Ron to look at her differently, and she got her wish. Ron, who was standing next to Charlie, had his mouth hanging open. When Hermione was standing at the altar, she looked to Harry and gave him a small thumbs up.

The people turned to see the other bride come out. When she arrived at the edge of the red carpet, Harry and Lupin laughed. Standing there in white robes was Tonks. Instead of having an elegant hairstyle like Ginny's or Hermione's, she stood there with her signature bubblegum pink hair. She walked to the altar where Lupin took her hand, like Bill did with Fleur.

"Wow, you didn't trip," Lupin smiled.

"Don't worry, I almost did," she said, smiling.

"We are gathered here today to join together Fleur Aurelie Delacour and William Septimus Weasley, as well as Nymphadora Terrwyn Tonks and Remus John Lupin in holy matrimony. I ask that the best man and maid of honor of the couples come forward and place your hand on the bride and groom."

Harry placed his hand on Lupin's shoulder, as did Hermione with Tonks. Beside him, Harry could see Charlie and Gabrielle doing the same thing.

The wizard stepped over to Bill and Fleur and said, "Charles Arthur Weasley, do you believe that William Weasley is well suited for Fleur Delacour?"

"Aye," Charlie replied.

"Gabrielle Juliette Delacour, do you believe Fleur Delacour is well suited for William Weasley?"

"Oui," Gabrielle replied.

The minster moved to Tonks and Lupin and said to Harry, "Harry James Potter, do you believe that Remus Lupin is well suited for Nymphadora Tonks?" Harry could see out of the corner of his eye Tonks wincing at Nymphadora.

"Aye," Harry replied, giving Lupin's shoulder a slight squeeze.

"Hermione Jane Granger, do you believe that Nymphadora Tonks is well suited for Remus Lupin?"

"Aye," Hermione replied.

The small wizard went back to Bill and Fleur and said, "William Weasley, do you take Fleur Delacour to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"Aye!" Bill said, holding Fleur's hand.

"Fleur Delacour, do you take William Weasley to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"Oui," she replied, smiling widely.

The wizard pulled his wand out and placed it on Bill and Fleur's clasped hands. A circle of flames shot out and entwined both of their hands. After a few seconds, the flames disappeared.

The wizard did the same thing with Tonks and Lupin, and finished by saying, "Ladies and gentleman, I present Mr. and Mrs. William Weasley and Mr. and Mrs. Remus Lupin! You may kiss the bride!"

Lupin leaned over to kiss Tonks, but instead she grabbed him, dipped him, and planted a sloppy kiss on his lips, much like Ron and Lavander's make-out sessions the previous year.

Harry glanced over at Ginny and saw she was wiping a tear from her eye. She glanced over at Harry and quickly averted her eyes. Harry felt like something cold had slid into his stomach. He missed her so much. Something averted his attention however.

"WATCH OUT!" screamed a lady.

Harry turned just in time to see a floating black cloak coming straight for him. He ducked and before he got up he heard someone yell "_Expecto Patronum_!"

Looking up, the whole sky was filled with black cloaks that could only be Dementors. A high pitched laugh came from somewhere in the crowd, followed by a cackle.

"Hello, dear niece!" came the voice of Bellatrix Lestrange.

"I can't believe you didn't invite us. That is very rude indeed," said the other woman's voice, who was Narcissa Malfoy.

As the crowd parted, Harry could see Bellatrix and Narcissa standing there in their full Death Eater garb. Behind them were about twenty more Death Eaters.

"We thought that we would bring you a little wedding present," Bellatrix said, walking

forward. Suddenly, she started shouting jinxes and curses. People screamed and ducked, as

the other Death Eaters started to move amongst the crowds doing the same thing.

"Zey will not ruin my wedding day!" cried Fleur, lifting her dress and pulling her wand from a holster on her leg. She went out amongst the crowd and started throwing hexes every which way.

Harry and the others started to do the same thing. He cast jinxes at a Death Eater whose face sprouted tentacles and he cried out in pain. He tripped over a body and turning over to see who he tripped over, he stared into the eyes of Dolores Umbridge, who had been hit with a Killing Curse.

Then he heard it. A familiar voice shouting, "_Furnunculus_!"

Looking up, he saw a Death Eater in front of him who had his back to him. Harry got up and jerked the Death Eater around. Pulling his hood down, none other than Percy Weasley was staring at him. Harry stood there in shock.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Harry screamed.

Percy didn't answer, but jerked his arm from Harry's grip and ran. Harry didn't chase after him because he was still in a bit of shock. Percy a Death Eater?

"Get inside the house now, Petunia!" cried Mrs. Weasley, trying to hold off two Death Eaters.

Harry saw his Aunt running with Dudley inside. Dudley tripped over an unconscious wizard and just as Aunt Petunia was running back to help him, a witch whom Harry recognized from last year's attack on Hogwarts stood over Petunia.

"Ohhhh….Muggles," the witch cooed. "My favorite ones to kill."

Before she raised her wand, Dudley grabbed the fallen wizard's wand and blasted her back off her feet. Dudley sat there in shock and dropped the wand. Then he and Aunt Petunia ran inside.

"Happy wedding day!" came Bellatrix's voice. "Everyone let's go home!"

Suddenly, multiple pops could be heard. The Death Eaters had Disapparated.

"Harry! Harry!" cried Hermione, making her way over to him. Her hair was messed up and she had mascara running down her cheeks. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, but where's Ron?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Harry could see a patch of red hair coming towards him. Before he could turn, he saw Ron embracing Hermione.

"Next time I tell you to get your arse in the house, I mean it," he croaked out.

"You know I couldn't leave you," she replied crying into his shoulder.

"Where's Ginny?" Harry said, looking around for another patch of red hair.

Then he spotted her. She was bleeding profusely from one arm, which was staining her pale gold dress. Then she saw him. She ran as fast as she could towards him and embraced him much like Ron embraced Hermione.

"Your arm is bleeding," Harry said taking her arm and looking at the laceration.

"It's nothing. I thought they took you," she said, crying into his chest.

"I'm fine," he said, stroking her hair.

He looked around, many of the witches and wizards who were hit with Stunning Spells were starting to wake up. The Death Eater whom Dudley had hit with a spell was starting to rise and Kingsley Shacklebolt magically bounded her with ropes. He grabbed her arm and Disapparated with her. Many of the other guests were starting to do the same, and wizards with the Magical Law Enforcement Office were covering up Dolores Umbridge, who, oddly enough, seemed to be the only one killed.

"Merlin's beard," came Neville's voice from behind them. He was sporting a black eye and bloody nose.

"Come on, lets get inside you five," said Mr. Weasley. Most of the Weasley clan had already left, but Bill, Charlie, Fred, and George were already heading inside.

By the time they reached the house, everyone had left except for a few who were

standing over the sheet that covered Dolores Umbridge. Chairs were upturned and part of the tent apparently had caught fire and a couple of wizards were putting out the smoldering fire out with their wands.

"Get in, get in, get in," cried Mrs. Weasley, shutting the door behind them. She looked at them for a moment and let out a wail and hugged them all in a big group hug. "I was so

scared," she sobbed.

"Molly, let's go into the parlor. I have some mead poured out for us all. We also have to discuss some things," McGonagall said, coming out of a nearby room.

Walking into the parlor, Harry saw Dudley was white. He, Harry, couldn't believe it himself. Could Hogwarts have made a mistake and not sent Dudley a letter?

As everyone settled with a glass of mead, Fred said, "How did they get in? I thought this place was impossible to get into!"

"I have no idea," McGonagall replied. "Dumbledore was the Secret Keeper and once a Secret Keeper dies, the Secret dies with them."

"Why did they kill Umbridge?" George asked. "They could have shot Killing Curses everywhere, but they targeted her."

Lupin looked grim. "She was about to pass a werewolf bill that would have had all werewolves live in a certain area sanctioned by the Ministry. One of the Death Eaters I was fighting was Faolan Rainer. Fenrir Greyback's main confidant," he explained. "Voldemort probably wanted her killed so that he would have the full werewolf community at his beck and call and not cooped up somewhere in a forest."

McGonagall nodded grimly. "We also have another situation," she said looking to Dudley. "Did anyone see what happened with this young man?" she asked pointing to him.

Everyone shook their heads, except Harry who nodded.

"What happened?" Hermione said, looking anxious.

"He performed magic," McGonagall replied. "A very rare thing happened today. A VERY rare thing. There have been only a handful of accounts of this ever happening. Sometimes a person can go through life and not have any magical powers until something very stressing and emotional happens to them. In his case, from what I saw, a Death Eater was about to attack his mother. He picked up a wand and then proceeded to blast the Death Eater off of her feet."

"He can't be a wizard," Aunt Petunia said, stroking the top of Dudley's blond hair. "He didn't receive a Hogwarts letter or anything."

"I didn't show any magical powers until my uncle held me out of the window and dropped me," Neville said sheepishly.

"Why did you grab the wand though?" Harry asked.

"I have no idea," Dudley replied. "It was like it was calling me. I just picked it up and

waved it, hoping to distract her so she wouldn't go after mum."

"Usually Muggles who show magical ability later in life can turn out to be fairly powerful," McGonagall stated, finishing off her mead.

"What are we going to do?" Aunt Petunia asked, also finishing off her drink.

"Well, as he is still eligible for Hogwarts, I suggest that he comes to Hogwarts to study," McGonagall replied.

"What?" Harry said in shock.

"I don't want to start with all the first years," Dudley said grumpily.

"You won't. You will have a condensed version of what you will need to take your O.W.L.s. I believe I can talk the teachers into teaching you on their breaks and after classes finish. It will be hard, but I believe you can do it. After you take your O.W.L.s, in which you might take before Christmas holiday if we're lucky, I will set you up with your N.E.W.T. classes. Even though they might be harder, you might not have as many as you did with your other classes."

"How will he be able to take his O.W.L.s in December though?" Hermione asked.

"Under extreme conditions, the Ministry will allow someone to take their O.W.L.s at another date and time. I believe this counts as extreme conditions."

"Where will he sleep?" Ron asked.

"I believe we can make room for him in Gryffindor tower. I would say Slytherin, as I doubt Mr. Malfoy will be returning, but that would be foolish as at least three of the young gentlemen's fathers are known Death Eaters. I think it wise that we place him in the same dormitory as yours. Before we make any plans, I need to ask if you are all right with this Petunia?"

Aunt Petunia looked uncertain for a moment, but said, "I have seen what Harry has done before in the past. I wouldn't trust anyone else to watch over Dudley than Harry. I believe he will keep him safe for me."

"Then it's settled. We will go to Diagon Alley in a week or so to pick up some necessary things for him to start his education at Hogwarts. We'll buy him a wand, robes, cauldron, and a new pet if he wishes."

"I don't know how much money we have though," Petunia said, looking a bit worried.

"I'll pay for it," Harry replied.

"No, I couldn't ask you to do that," Petunia said.

"I have plenty of money, it will be no problem at all," Harry said firmly.

"Thank you so much," she replied, hugging Harry.

They didn't realize how late it was and how long they had been talking, but finally,

McGonagall said, "I believe we should all get some sleep. It's been a hard day for all of us."


	7. Gethin's

A/N: Nothing really to say about this chapter except that Gethin's means Dark. Also, note the new Transfiguration book for the seventh years. It's quite a big hint for who will be the next Transfiguration teacher. ;)

After Dudley had found out that he was a wizard, he had enlisted the help of Hermione to teach him some simple spells. He was actually starting to get quite good at _Alohomora_ and whenever Ron was a bit cross with Hermione, she would get Dudley to put the Body-Bind Curse on him.

"Why do you always tell him to do that to me?" he asked Hermione, coming out of a particularly long Body-Bind.

"He needs to practice," she replied with a smirk.

"Why can't he practice on Harry?"

"You were closer."

A week before school was set to start, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Dudley were told they were to be leaving for London to get their school things.

"Molly, Arthur, Tonks, and Lupin will be accompanying you," McGonagall told them

over breakfast. "I am going to be heading to Hogwarts to make sure the final precautions are in place before the new term."

"Is Hagrid going to be with us today?" Harry asked, referring to last year when he had accompanied them in Diagon Alley.

"I'm afraid not. He is doing some secret work for the Order that you do not need to know the details of," McGonagall replied, fastening her traveling cloak on.

"I wonder what he's doing?" Harry asked as McGonagall left the house.

"It would have to be with giants wouldn't it?" came Ginny's voice from behind them.

Harry and Ginny were on speaking terms again after the attack at the wedding. She explained to him that she tried and tried to be angry at him, but the anger was never genuine. The reason was because she knew she couldn't with him, at least until Voldemort was defeated. She then told him that she would wait for however long it took.

"I thought the giants were with Voldemort though?" Hermione said.

"I heard mum and McGonagall talking…"

"Heard or eavesdropped?" Ron asked suspiciously, not believe that his mother and McGonagall would talk about such things in front of Ginny.

"Hey, it wasn't my fault that I just happened to have an Extendable Ear in my ear." Ron rolled his eyes. "Anyways, they mentioned someone named Grawp and how Hagrid had taught him how to speak English. They were going to try and get this Grawp to spy on the giants."

"Grawp is Hagrid's half brother," Harry informed Ginny.

"We'll be leaving in a few minutes!" Mrs. Weasley shouted from the kitchen. "You need to get your book lists before we go!"

They all headed up the stairs and Harry grabbed his book list. He only need a few books for this year including:

_The Standard Book of Spells, Grade Seven by Miranda Goshawk_

_Advanced Animal Transfiguration by Catriona Vice_

_Useful Defensive Spells for Dark Times by Gethan Nydia_

_N.E.W.T. Study Guide: What To Expect by Griselda Marchbanks_

"Come on, Harry!" shouted Mrs. Weasley up the stairs.

When he went downstairs, everyone was waiting for him. Hermione had her Head Girl badge pinned to the front of her shirt, proudly showing it to Mrs. Weasley.

"You're wearing your badge?" asked Harry.

"It's a very high honor to be named Head Girl of Hogwarts," Hermione replied, straightening the badge. "You should be wearing yours too."

"I'll pass," he replied with a smile.

"How are we getting to Diagon Alley, mum?" Ginny asked.

"We'll be Apparating. I'll be guiding you. Harry, would you mind guiding your cousin?"

"Not at all."

Stepping outside of the gate, Lupin tapped his wand three times on it. The gate glowed red and went back to normal.

"New security measure," he replied. "Okay, on the count of three, everyone Apparate. One, two, three!"

Harry grabbed Dudley's arm, and turning on the spot, he saw the blackness surround him. He still would never get used to this feeling. Suddenly, the blackness went away and he was in an alleyway in London with the others next to him. Dudley's eyes were streaming and he was trying catch his breath.

"Why can't wizards just use normal modes of transportation?" he wheezed. "Like airplanes or cars?"

"Tell me, Dudley," Mr. Weasley said, with an interested look on his face, "have you ever rode in an airplane? How do they work?" He glanced at his wife who was looking at him with a reproachful eye. "Never mind," he finished quickly.

They set off around the corner to The Leaky Cauldron. As usual, people walked right past it without a second glance.

Upon entering the wizarding pub, Harry saw the exact scene from last summer. Tom

was at the bar, cleaning a glass and looking around his empty pub. Dust was about an inch thick on the tables and chairs. It reminded Harry of the Hog's Head in Hogsmeade, in which he had only visited once. Tom glanced up and straightened a bit when he saw the group.

"Sorry, not now," Mr. Weasley replied. "When we leave we'll buy some drinks though," he said quickly at the look of sadness that had passed over Tom's face.

"Where is this Diagon Alley?" Dudley asked, looking around as if was about to magically appear.

"Just through here," Tonks replied, holding the back door open for them.

They were faced with a brick wall and a few trash bins.

"Some alley," Dudley guffawed.

Lupin tapped his wand on a brick three times and an archway appeared. Dudley stood there in shock, as did Harry. A few more of the stores seemed to be boarded up, and the witches and wizards selling amulets were gone. Harry remembered seeing some of the cowboy shows that Dudley used to watch and he was expecting a tumbleweed to go by at any moment.

"Let's make a quick stop at Gringotts," Mrs. Weasley said, pushing the group forward. "I had Bill get our money ready, so all we need to do is go and pick it up."

Harry saw Gringotts up ahead, and it seemed like it lost it's glow like many of the surrounding shops. The goblin that held the door open watched them with a close eye. Apparently he thought they were going to steal something.

"Hey, you guys!" yelled Bill from their right. They walked over to him and he passed out the money pouches, including one for Dudley. "Don't worry about them," he said, referring the goblins. "They are suspicious of everyone that walks in the door. Anyways, I have to get back to work. Harry, I saw Fred and George and they told me to tell you to stop by their shop before you leave. See you later," he finished, kissing his mother on the cheek.

"Molly and Arthur, you can take Ginny, Neville, and Dudley. Tonks and I will take the rest. How about we meet in Fred and George's shop in an hour?" Lupin said, pulling a pocket watch out. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley nodded, taking the others into various shops.

"Lupin, where will Dudley get his new wand? Ollivander's is still boarded up," Harry asked.

"There is another wand shop here in Diagon Alley. Barclay's wands aren't as good as Ollivander's, but he uses the same things as him. Well, he uses a feather from a Griffin, but not many people have one of those."

After buying their school things, it was almost time to meet the others in Fred and George's shop. While Hermione was checking the list one more time, Harry heard Ron say, "What in bloody hell is he doing here?"

Glancing up, Harry saw Percy walking towards them on the other side of the cobblestone street. Harry didn't tell Ron, nor the rest of the Weasley clan, about what happened that night when Harry had seen Percy amongst the Death Eaters.

"Stay here," he told the others and ran off towards Percy.

When he saw Harry coming toward him, Percy turned around and tried to run away from Harry.

"_Locomotor Mortis_!" shouted Harry.

Percy fell face down on the ground and without missing a beat, he pulled his wand out and took the jinx off of him, but Harry had already caught up to him and grabbed him by his robes just as he was standing up.

"How could you?" Harry said, slamming Percy against the boarded up Ollivanders.

"You don't know so don't get involved," Percy said, trying to wriggle free.

"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?" Harry replied, pressing him harder against the building.

"I can't tell you."

"Tell me now or I'll hex you until you are nothing but a pile of ashes."

"Harry! What are you doing?" Hermione yelled, trying to pull Harry off of Percy.

"So nice to see you again," Percy said and Disapparated with a pop.

"What was that all about?" Hermione said, releasing him.

Harry looked around to make sure none of the Weasley's were around. Ron was still standing back with his mouth open at Harry's sudden attack on his brother.

"If I tell you, will not tell Ron?" Harry asked as they were walking back.

Hermione looked at him with an eyebrow raised. "You mean you're not telling him? I thought you told him everything."

"Percy is a Death Eater," Harry said under his breath as they walked towards Ron.

"No!" Hermione said, shocked.

"Yes. He was attacking people at the wedding. I can't tell Ron, or his family, because I don't know how they'll react."

"I really think you should tell them, Harry. But if you want me to keep my mouth shut, I will."

"Thank you."

"What was that all about?" Ron asked, much like Hermione did.

"Nothing," Harry replied. "Let's get into Fred and George's shop," he finished, brushing past Ron without another word.

The shop was just as bright and jovial as before. There were quite a few shelves that were bare except for one or two boxes. The twins seemed to have expanded their pet business, now including what looked like miniature Crups (which were about the size of the Pygmy Puffs) and mice which changed colors every few seconds. Above the cage of mice, a sign hung that read:

_Color Changing Mice: Pick a Color to Match Your Mood!_

A witch Harry recognized as Verity was showing a group of small children how to change the color of the mice.

"See now all you have to do is when it gets to a color you like, just tap your wand three

times and…" The mouse in her hand which was previously green, was now a bright pink color. "then you have your very own colored mouse! Today we're having a sale on them too! Only two Galleons! Also coming soon is Pygmy Puffs in different colors!"

"Mummy, can I have one?" asked a small girl near the front.

"Ahh… Harry! Just the man we were looking for!" came Fred's voice from behind them. "We have some new items we were wanting to show you in the back."

"Hey, how much for these Puking Pastilles?" Dudley called from across the room.

"Three Galleons!" George shouted from the other side of the room. "If you buy one, you get another box free."

"Whenever we have sales, everyone goes bonkers and buys up the whole store," Fred said, pulling back a curtain in which they could go into the back where their defensive items were.

The room seemed bigger than the last time Harry was there. The twins had stocked more of everything, including what looked like fake Dark Marks one could tattoo on their arm. They also had more cloaks varying in color and style. In a barrel in the back looked like Death Eaters masks.

"Wow," Harry said, picking up one of the Dark Mark tattoos.

"We've expanded our stock to include undercover items," George said.

"What about these?" Harry asked, holding up the tattoo.

"If someone takes Polyjuice Potion to turn into a known Death Eater, the Dark Mark

won't be on their arms. If you put that on your arm, it will burn and glow much like the Dark Mark."

"How do you know this?" Hermione asked, picking up a Dark Mark tattoo.

"We read it somewhere," Fred replied.

"You read it somewhere? I highly doubt that," Ron replied.

"Oh, dear brother, why would you ever doubt us?" George said.

Harry was looking at the various Shield Cloaks when an idea hit him.

"Could I borrow one of these cloaks for a few minutes?" he asked, holding up a cloak that had a hood.

"Of course, Harry. Bring it back though because the Ministry is coming to pick some up today."

"Come with me," Harry said, going out of the back room.

"What are you going to do?" Ron asked.

"Knockturn Alley," Harry replied, stepping out into the sun. Luckily, none of the others

had seen them walk out. He started walking fast towards Knockturn Alley.

"Harry, this really isn't safe," Hermione said, trotting behind him to keep up with him.

"You don't have any Polyjuice Potion or anything. You'll be a walking target."

Harry, who wasn't listening, threw the Shield Cloak over him. He pulled the hood up,

trying his best to cover his face.

"Well, at least change your voice," she said, finally catching up.

"How?" Harry asked, stopping and turning around.

"Hold still." She took her wand out and put it to Harry's neck. "_Profundus Vocis_!"

Harry's throat got warm and he said, "Thanks." But instead of his own voice, a deep

scratchy voice came out. "Put this on," he said, pulling out his Invisibility Cloak. "Stay behind me and stay close. If you see something, tug on my cloak."

The other two nodded and swung the cloak over the both of them. Harry took a deep breath and walked into the alleyway that lead to Knockturn Alley. For some odd reason, the dark alley seemed more busy than Harry last remembered it. Trying to keep his head down, he saw out of the corner of his eye a few Death Eaters walk by.

He suddenly felt a slight tugging on his cloak and turning around quickly, he heard Hermione whisper, "To your left."

Harry turned to his left and saw a small bookstore, which Harry knew could only carry dark books. In the window was a display of books, all of which had a dark red substance on it that could only be blood. Looking at the name of the store, Harry could just barely make out the name Gethin's.

Walking in, a small tinkling bell announced his arrival. Looking around, he saw books piled high to the ceiling, much like Flourish and Blotts, but these books had a less cheerful feeling about them. Harry thought he could hear a faint screaming from somewhere, and felt that it was some books doing the screaming. Among the titles was a book that was simply titled, "_Dark Spells_." This book seemed to be smoking around the edges.

"Can I help you?" came a rough voice from behind him.

Harry turned and was surprised to see the rough voice belonged to a small, skinny witch who looked like she had spent too much time outside. Her skin looked like leather and her hair was black and frizzy.

"I was looking for a particular book," Harry replied, walking towards the counter where she was sitting.

"Anything you are looking for, we probably have," she said, sounding bored.

"I need a book about Horcruxes," Harry said bluntly.

The blood drained from the witch's face. "Why do you need a book about that?"

"Just a bit of light reading," Harry replied.

"W-well, it will cost you quite a bit."

To this, Harry replied by throwing his pouch of gold onto the counter. She went around the counter and looked up and down the street through the window. She hastily flipped the open sign to closed. Walking back behind the counter, she pulled a box out from underneath a floorboard.

"I'm not supposed to even have this. A number of years ago, a young man came and bought it, but returned it back to me. He worked just down the road at Borgin and Burke's. He is the only other person who has even said that word to me. I know it must be very valuable as very few people even know about them."

"How much?" Harry asked.

"At least seventy-five Galleons."

Harry heard a gasp behind him, most likely Ron's, and then a grunt, probably Hermione stepping on his foot.

The witch looked right through them, and Harry quickly said, "It should all be in the pouch."

He thought he felt a gust of wind blow past his arm, and when the witch opened the pouch, there were more Galleons than Harry remembered putting in there.

Eyeing the gold carefully, she finally said, "Okay, everything seems to be in order here. Have a nice day, Mister…"

"I hardly think I would give out my name when purchasing something that involves Dark

magic," Harry said quickly, feeling the charm Hermione put on him wear off.

"Of course. Have a nice day."

As soon as they were out of Knockturn Alley, Hermione and Ron took the Invisibility Cloak off.

"Let's get back to the shop before anyone realizes we're gone," Harry said, stowing the Invisibility Cloak back in his pocket and hiding the book well inside his robes.

"How did my pouch get so full?" Harry asked Hermione on their way back.

"It wasn't real gold. She'll be pretty upset in a few hours when she realizes it was leprechaun gold."

Upon entering Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, they saw that everyone was where they were before they left the shop. Fred and George were standing in front of the curtain that lead to the back of the store, waiting for their arrival.

"Did you get what you wanted, mate?" asked George.

"Yeah, thanks again," Harry replied, taking the cloak off and removing the book from the cloak.

"You borrowed one of our cloaks for a ruddy book?" Fred said, replacing the cloak on a hanger.

"Yes," Harry replied simply.

"To each his own."


End file.
